France marched back into the World Cup semi finals with a 2-0 win over Morocco at Gillette Stadium in Boston, Kylian Mbappé shaking off a 28th-minute penalty failure to score and assist as D. Deschamps’ 4-3-3 outmanoeuvred H. Regragui’s mirror setup.
The early story was Mbappé’s missed opportunity from the spot in the 28th minute, a moment that briefly reopened the 2022 semi final scars for the holders. Morocco had enjoyed more of the ball through Azzedine Ounahi and Neil El Aynaoui, yet their possession rarely stretched Dayot Upamecano and William Saliba. France’s structure was calm: Manu Koné sat beside Adrien Rabiot, Désiré Doué drifted between the lines, and Ousmane Dembélé held width to pin Achraf Hakimi back.
Deschamps’ plan finally paid on the restart. Doué’s patience and timing were rewarded in the 60th minute when his pass located Mbappé, who finished to restore French rhythm. Six minutes later the game was effectively done: Mbappé slipped Dembélé into the space Morocco left while reacting to the prior goal, and Dembélé made it 2-0 in the 66th minute.
Regragui tried to flip the script with a double substitution in the 62nd minute, introducing Soufiane Rahimi and Sofyan Amrabat, but Issa Diop’s yellow card at 63 signalled a back line struggling to contain France’s speed. Morocco still managed only one shot on target all night, a testament to the French centre backs and the disciplined coverage from Lucas Digne and Jules Koundé.
Deschamps closed it down the veteran way. Warren Zaïre-Emery arrived in the 70th minute to lock midfield, Bradley Barcola and Jean-Philippe Mateta entered in the 77th minute to preserve Mbappé’s legs, and Malo Gusto spelled Koundé in the 87th minute. Mike Maignan was required to make only one save, yet France pushed through 22 shots and 3.04 xG, a show of offensive control that the 2022 cycle often lacked.
The confidence belongs to Dembélé and Doué, who created seven key passes between them, twisting a Moroccan defence that had conceded sparingly throughout the tournament. Morocco exit with pride in Yassine Bounou’s six saves but their 0.14 xG illustrates how little they threatened.
Statistics
- Shots: France 22, Morocco 5
- Expected goals: France 3.04, Morocco 0.14
- Shots on target: France 8, Morocco 1
- Possession: France 48 percent, Morocco 52 percent
- Saves: Mike Maignan 1, Yassine Bounou 6
- Cards: Issa Diop (yellow, 63rd minute)
France now waits on the outcome of Spain vs Belgium for Sunday’s semi final, with Deschamps already signalling rotation options after resting Mbappé late.
